1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns the dispensing of quantities of ice in various dispensable forms such as ice cubes, craked ice, etc., more particularly, is concerned with a method and mechanism for retrofitting ice chests of the type which have allowed relatively unlimited access thereto to convert the same into a controlled access ice chest.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Free access ice chests are in extremely widespread use in such establishments as hotels and motels. These ice chests generally comprise a large bin or storage chest, access to which is obtained through an access door located along a sloping front surface on the upper portion of the ice chest housing and which enables a motel guest to freely remove ice cubes or cracked ice.
Since the halls and other areas where such machines are located are oftentimes located in areas which non-guests may obtain admission, problems have occurred in unauthorized persons removing ice, quantities of which are maintained in the bin by an ice making apparatus normally disposed within the housing.
This free access has created certain other problems: The unlimited amounts of ice available to those having access results in excessive usage, i.e., as by the practice of filling protable ice chests, since the quantities of ice which are made by the associated ice making machines are not feasibly sized to provide for such excessive consumption, difficulties arise with other persons which are intended to be provided with ice cubes, etc. creating customer relation problems in the aforementioned hotels, motels or similar establishments.
A further problem is that of the potential and occasional introduction of contaminants, vermin, etc. into the ice bin.
In co-pending patent application Ser. No. 697,778 filed June 21, l976 is disclosed an arrangement for providing a token-operated dispenser which can be utilized in conjuction with such ice bins to allow appropriate limited access by issuance of predetermined numbers of tokens to the clientele of such establishments. Ice dispensing machines which have been coined-controlled to provide limited access to quantities of ice are, of course, very well known and in widespread use in the context of the sale of ice to the public. However, the problem involved both with the approach described in the aforementioned patent application and the general approach to ice dispensing in a vending machine context such as a coin-operated ice dispenser is that substantial modification of the major structural components of the machines would be required in converting existing ice chests. Since such ice storage chests are relatively large and bulky, the economic modification of such units would appear to be unfeasible since extensive on-site installation procedures would thus be involved, such as cutting large openings in the housings, etc. Also, the economies of scale, and efficiencies provided by an in-shop manufacture would not be available.
This problem with such dispenser designs in this context is caused by the fact that generally the movement of ice through the dispensing opening is induced or aided by gravity. This is brought about generally by the location of the dispensing devices below the bulk quantity of ice from which the dispensed quantities are drawn. Since in the structural details of such ice chests the access door is provided at an upper location relative to the ice bin, the typical application of such prior art metering and dispensing apparatus would necessitate modifications of the main housing in order to provide an access opening which would be below the leval at which the ice is disposed in the ice bin.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,390,537 there is disclosed an ice transport-conveyor mechanism which is adapted to move ice particles upwardly from a storage location. However, the application described in that patent is involved in removing ice particles floating on the surface of a liquid medium and as such, would not have particular application to the aforementioned dispensing of bulk quantities of ice located within a bin.
Any such dispensing mechanism which would be used for this application should very desirably have as a design feature simplicity and reliability of operation, since usage would be heavy and the annoyance factor to hotel guests, upon encountering an inoperative device would be substantial to defeat in some respects the basic aims of providing limited access.
A further desirable design feature would be the protection of the device from tampering and abuse, since vending apparatus tends to be subject to abuse in the event of malfunction. Such tampering could also be to circumvent the limited access function of the device.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a method for converting of unlimited access ice chests of the sort described to provide a limited access which may be applied to existing ice chests without modification of the major structural compenents.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dispensing mechanism for use in carrying out the conversion method which is simple and reliable in operation.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a mechanism which involves a minimal exposure of vulnerable components thereof to provide protection against abuse and tampering.